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Employee, 23, shot, killed at auto body shop

Employee, 23, shot, killed at auto body shop

Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING -- James Brumfield looks over a charter bus being customized by his son Nicholas Brumfield, 23, outside Red's Auto Upholstery, 5737 Greenwell Springs Road, where his 23-year-old son was outfitting it as a 'party bus,' with specialized lighting, upholstery and sound. Nicholas was shot multiple times inside the business just before 10 p.m. Saturday, and police are seeking information in the search for a motive or any details that might be helpful in finding the killer.

Police do not yet have suspect, motive

An aspiring entrepreneur and automotive audio maestro was gunned down Saturday night at the auto body shop where he worked on Greenwell Springs Road, leaving friends, family and detectives searching for answers.

Police do not have a motive or suspect in the shooting, Coppola said. No other details about the shooting were available Sunday.

Coppola said he could not disclose how many times Brumfield was shot, but friends and co-workers standing outside the business Sunday said Brumfield had been shot about seven times, including several times in the head.

The owner of Red’s Auto Upholstery, who would not provide his name, said he along with a few other people were at the shop when Brumfield was shot, but he was in the back of the building and Brumfield was in the front when the shooting occurred. The owner said he did not see what led up to the shooting.

He said Brumfield was a good employee and had worked at the shop for about 10 months.

Lamont Jackson, 40, called Brumfield a “nice guy” and said he had been friends with him for several years

“We don’t have the slightest idea,” Jackson said when asked if he knew why someone had shot his friend.

James Brumfield, Nicholas Brumfield’s father, stood outside the business Sunday morning, watching as workers carried his son’s possessions, including speaker boxes, tires and audio equipment, out of the shop and into waiting pickup trucks that would transport the items to a storage locker.

His blank look changed to a smile when he was asked about his son.

“Everybody loved him,” James Brumfield said.

Nicholas Brumfield built speaker boxes and installed audio systems at the business but harbored dreams of one day owning his own business like his father, who owns Brumfield’s Tire & Fleet Service LLC, in College Station, Texas. The elder Brumfield started the business in Baton Rouge but moved it to Texas several years ago.

He said his son always talked about “taking cars to the next level.”

“That was his first love,” James Brumfield said of his son’s work on cars.

Nicholas Brumfield had worked at David’s Car Stereo in Baton Rouge before moving to Red’s.

Parked in front of Red’s Auto Upholstery was an example of Nicholas Brumfield’s work: an old charter bus he was retrofitting into a party bus for a customer.

James Brumfield described his son as a genuine person who respected people and worked hard.

Nicholas Brumfield also loved to cook after learning from his father.

“He thought he was a better cook,” James Brumfield said.

The suddenness of the shooting has shocked the family. Nicholas Brumfield had a daughter, Madison, 1.

“They ain’t really taking it too easy,” Brumfield said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.